G. Ramu, 55, born into a family of municipal workers, has been elected to Arsikere City Municipal Council. His parents Ganga and Nagamma were sweeping the streets of Arsikere in the 1970s. Now, his sons Gangadhara and Siddesh are also municipal workers of the same civic body, where he has been elected a member.
For the past three decades, Mr. Ramu has actively participated in the activities of Dalit Sangharsha Samiti (DSS) under the leadership of B. Krishnappa, who founded the DSS. He led many protests whenever incidents of atrocities on Dalits were reported in parts of Hassan. For many years he served as convener of the DSS in Arsikere taluk.
Speaking to The Hindu on Monday, he recalled the days when he actively participated in protests condemning the murder of Venkata Bovi in the1980s. Venkata Bovi was allegedly murdered by his landlord near Javagal in Arsikere taluk.
“I was not an aspirant to contest in the urban local body polls. But, a few youths of my locality – B. Krishnappa Extension (Lakshmipura) — forced to me contest assuring me that they would campaign for me. They took me to K.M. Shivalinge Gowda, MLA, Arsikere, and got JD(S) ticket to contest without spending much from my pocket,” he said. He won by a margin of 151 votes against the Congress candidate in Ward 12.
Mr. Ramu has spent about ₹30,000 on his election campaign. “The money was spent towards offering snacks and tea to those who visited my place during the campaign. I could win because of the youths who worked day and night spending money from their pockets,” he said.
Of his seven children, Ramu has named one of his sons and a daughter after Kanshiram and Mayawati, respectively, two leaders of the Bahujan Samaj Party.
“I am committed to fight for the welfare of the downtrodden. I have taken an oath to continue my fight against caste-based atrocities at the burial ground where Prof. Krishnappa was laid to rest,” he said.